# Multi-Dimensional Assessment of Low-Carbon Engineering Cement-Based Composites Based on Rheological, Mechanical and Sustainability Factors

## TL;DR

This study explores low-carbon cement composites by replacing traditional cement with LC3 and using synthetic fibers, showing improved performance and reduced emissions.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is the development of a low-carbon ECC using LC3 and hybrid fibers, with an integrated evaluation framework for optimization.

## Key findings

- Replacing OPC with LC3 reduced carbon emissions by 19.1–20.8%.
- LC3-ECC with PE fibers achieved an ultimate tensile strain of 8.40%.
- The cost of PP fiber is about 50% of PVA fiber in LC3-ECC.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
Replacing OPC with LC3 significantly reduced carbon emissions by 19.1–20.8%.The cost of PP fiber used in ECC was approximately 50% of that of PVA fiber.

Replacing OPC with LC3 significantly reduced carbon emissions by 19.1–20.8%.

The cost of PP fiber used in ECC was approximately 50% of that of PVA fiber.

What are the implications of the main findings?
LC3-ECC with PE fibers has superior tensile performance with an ultimate strain of 7.78%.The radar assessment can be used to optimize the mixture proportioning of low-carbon ECC.

LC3-ECC with PE fibers has superior tensile performance with an ultimate strain of 7.78%.

The radar assessment can be used to optimize the mixture proportioning of low-carbon ECC.

To address the high-carbon emissions associated with the large use of Portland cement (PC) in traditional engineered cementitious composites (ECCs) and the resource constraints on supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), this study proposes a strategy combining limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) as a PC replacement with the incorporation of hybrid synthetic fibers to develop low-carbon, environmentally friendly ECCs. The fundamental properties of the LC3-ECC were tested, and a sustainability analysis was conducted. The experimental results show that an increase in water-to-binder ratio (W/B) or superplasticizer (SP) dosage significantly enhanced fluidity while reducing the yield stress and plastic viscosity. An LC3-ECC with a W/B of 0.25, 0.45% SP and 2% polyethylene fibers exhibited the best tensile performance, achieving an ultimate tensile strain of 8.40%. In contrast, an increase in polypropylene fiber led to a degradation in crack-resistant properties. In terms of sustainability, replacing the PC with LC3 significantly reduced carbon emissions by 19.1–20.8%, while the cost of the limestone calcined clay cement–polypropylene fiber (LC3-PP) was approximately 50% of that of the limestone calcined clay cement–polyvinyl alcohol fiber (LC3-PVA). Furthermore, an integrated evaluation framework encompassing rheological, mechanical and environmental factors was established using performance radar charts. The dataset on the performance results and the developed assessment framework provide a foundation for optimizing the mixture proportioning of LC3-ECC in practical engineering applications.